CVE-2014-5785 in Bouncy Bill World-Cup
Summary
by MITRE
The Bouncy Bill World-Cup (aka mominis.Generic_Android.Bouncy_Bill_World_Cup) application 1.0.1 for Android does not verify X.509 certificates from SSL servers, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof servers and obtain sensitive information via a crafted certificate.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/01/2024
The Bouncy Bill World-Cup Android application version 1.0.1 contains a critical security vulnerability related to SSL certificate verification that exposes users to man-in-the-middle attacks. This flaw represents a fundamental failure in the application's cryptographic security implementation, where the software fails to properly validate X.509 certificates presented by SSL servers during secure communications. The vulnerability stems from the application's improper handling of certificate validation processes, which is classified as a weakness in the certificate validation mechanism according to CWE-295. The application essentially trusts any certificate presented by a server without performing the necessary verification steps that should confirm the certificate's authenticity and validity.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows attackers to conduct successful man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting forged certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application. When the application establishes SSL connections to servers, it does not perform certificate chain validation, does not check certificate expiration dates, and fails to verify certificate signatures against trusted certificate authorities. This creates a security gap where attackers can intercept communications between the application and legitimate servers, potentially capturing sensitive user data, session tokens, or other confidential information transmitted over the network. The vulnerability specifically affects the SSL/TLS handshake process where certificate verification should occur but does not, making it a direct violation of standard security protocols.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it fundamentally undermines the security model that users expect from mobile applications. Attackers can exploit this weakness to redirect users to malicious servers while maintaining the illusion of secure communication, enabling them to harvest login credentials, personal information, or financial data. This vulnerability is particularly concerning for applications that handle sensitive user data or perform authentication functions, as it provides attackers with a straightforward path to compromise user accounts and session integrity. The attack vector requires minimal sophistication since the vulnerability exists in the application's core security implementation rather than requiring complex exploitation techniques.
Organizations and developers should address this vulnerability through immediate code modifications that implement proper SSL certificate verification mechanisms. The recommended mitigation involves implementing certificate pinning, where the application maintains a list of trusted certificate fingerprints or public keys and validates server certificates against this trusted set. Additionally, developers should ensure that certificate validation includes checking certificate chains, expiration dates, and signature verification against recognized certificate authorities. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1041, where adversaries use certificate manipulation to bypass security controls, and represents a failure to implement proper secure coding practices. The fix should include comprehensive testing of certificate validation logic and implementation of proper error handling for certificate validation failures to prevent the application from proceeding with unverified connections.